For Providers

Quality Counts

Quality Counts for Kids is Hillsborough County's exciting continuous quality improvement program for all legally operating centers, family child care homes, and out-of-school time programs. The program offers many forms of support, resources and information to participating programs.

Quality Counts for Kids

Quality Counts for Kids partners with child care and education program across Hillsborough County to improve the quality of early learning for children birth to 5.

Quality Counts has established a standard of quality for early care and education programs and funds quality improvements that research proves help children thrive. This includes training for teachers to expand their skills in working with young children and coaching to help programs provide learning environments that nurture the emotional, social, language and cognitive development of every child and technical assistance to improve programs’ business practices.

Participating programs are eligible to apply for mini-grants to help cover the cost of their continuous quality improvement efforts. Services to support providers quality improvement efforts are provided by the following agencies:

Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough CountyQuality Counts for Kids provides on-site coaching to centers and family child care homes to support the development of best practices in program administration as well as teaching and learning.

Champions for Children
Family Involvement Connection (FIC) works with family childcare home providers and partners with them to encourage families to interact on a regular basis in their child’s early learning. Their family friendly Books, Blocks & Balls events are a fun way for families to learn about their child’s development and receive activities that will help their child reach their full developmental potential.

University of South FloridaProgram Wide Positive Behavior Support use a framework called The Pyramid model that promotes young children social-emotional competence and prevents and addresses challenging behavior. Programs with a minimum rating star level of 3 are can apply for services.

Early Childhood Council
Inclusion Services provides training and technical assistance to providers who are serving children that have developmental and/or behavioral difference. Individualized intervention plan is developed through a team planning process to assist the child, teacher, and family in maintaining a successful preschool placement.

Programs interested in participating in the Quality Counts for Kids program should contact
Janet Stutzman at (813) 280-0797 or at jstutzman@elchc.org

Improvement Programs

Center Based Programs

Awarded ‘star level’ designations based on the number of points a program receives for meeting quality specific standards. Center standards address:

Curriculum and Instructional Assessment

Family Engagement

Learning Environment

Program Administration

Ratio and Group Size

Screening and Identification of Special Needs

Staff Qualifications

Family Child Care Homes

Awarded ‘star level’ designations based on the number of points a family child care home receives for meeting quality specific standards. Family Child Care Homes standards address:

Business Administration

Curriculum and Instructional Assessment

Family Engagement

Learning Environment

Provider Qualifications

Screening and Identification of Special Needs

Provider as Employer (may not be applicable)

Funding Generously Provided by Children's Board of Hillsborough County